Rio 2016 Olympics betting

No sporting event captures the imagination of the global population quite like the Summer Olympics does.

Rio de Janerio is the where the latest chapter of the Summer Olympics will be played out and after one of the most successful soccer World Cups in recent memory it is hard not to get excited for what 2016 will bring in the South American nation.

With two weeks of almost non-stop sporting action across an enormous 28 sports Rio has the potential to be the biggest Olympics ever, which means it looms as a punter’s paradise.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games

Running from August 5-21, the South American nation of Brazil is the host for the 2016 instalment of the Summer Olympic Games.

Rio de Janerio is no stranger to large sporting events either, with the 2015 Soccer World Cup hosted in the same city.

This will be the first time ever a South American nation has hosted the Summer Olympic Games, and if there is one thing Brazilians know how to do it is party – so 2016 is set to be one of the most fun and exciting Olympics in the history of the event.

How to bet on the Olympic games in Rio

The Olympics brackets a lot of different sports under the same umbrella, which means betting on the events does not differ greatly from investing on other sports.

The head-to-head markets exist just like any other sporting competition you can bet on, so let’s just focus on the bet types that relate specifically to the Olympics.

To win the gold: – it’s like a supercharged futures bet. You pick which team or athlete you think will finish on top of the podium in each event and go from there.

Futures and outrights: – Futures bets on the Olympics can relate to teams and athletes as well as the nations they play for.

You can bet on the nations to top the medal tally as well as line bets on the amount of gold medals for countries.

Multi bets: – If you are looking to make serious bucks on the Olympics, multibetting is the way to go.

Pick several events (or legs as they are known within the same bet) that you think will be successful, and the price that these bets pay is multiplied by every win.

The more legs you have, the greater the amount of money you can win on your mutli – and with online betting agencies now allowing people to ‘cash out’ early, punters can add more legs with confidence.

Sports to bet on at the Olympics

While the winter Olympics is gaining in popularity in Australia, it is the summer games which truly capture the imagination of Australians.

Australia’s swimmers are among the best in the world, while we often produce a world class athlete on the track, like Sydney games champ Cathy Freeman and current day superstar Sally Pearson – who is the dominant force in the women’s hurdles.

Originating in Athens, Greece, the Summer Olympics has long been the place where all the world’s best athletes come to showcase their talents in an effort to achieve sporting immortality and cement their legacy.

In 2012 it was announced golf and sevens rugby would be added to the sports played at the games. This means Australia’s best golfers and our gun rugby team (which finished runner up in the 2015 World Cup to New Zealand) will be pressing for gold in Rio. The other change was windsurfing being replaced by Kite Surfing.

The changes to the sports played means there will be 28 sports played in total at the Rio games, with 38 disciplines in total, 10,000 athletes will compete from over 200 countries.

With so much going on over the fortnight of sport it is easy to see why multi betting is one of the favoured bets across the Olympics.

The events to look out for at Rio 2016

While there is a huge amount of sports to bet upon, few gold medal events captivate the public quite like these. Make sure you do not miss these vents at Rio and who knows? Maybe you will be able to make some cash along the way.

100m men’s sprint final – while most of the track events are enthralling to the viewer, no event epitomises the Olympics quite like the men’s 100m final.

This is certain to be the last time we see Usain Bolt at the Olympics – which means this is a must-see event. While Australia won’t feature prominently in this race it is one of the most popular betting events at the games for Australians.

4 x 100m freestyle: – while swimming is typically an individual sport which can pit countrymen against each other, the 4 x 100m freestyle competition puts four compatriots on the same team towards one goal. Australia will be a good shot in both the men’s and women’s events with the USA our main threat. The men’s team will be spearheaded by James Magnusson while the women’s team will be spearheaded by Cate and Bronte Campbell. It all builds towards making the 4 x 100m final one of the most exciting events of the Summer Olympics.

105 kg weightlifting: – is there anything more entertaining than someone attempting to lift well above their own body weight over their head? While it remains an obscure sport outside of the Summer Olympics, weightlifting always draws a huge amount of attention when it is on.

Marathon: – few events really showcase just what sacrifice, endurance and hard work is all about more than the marathon. Athletes run over 42 km in the harshest of Summer heat for a chance at a gold medal, it should not be as entertaining as it is but when it is televised there are few sports that are more engrossing. The African nations like Kenya are again expected to dominate, young Aussie Jessica Trengove is one to watch.

Basketball: The men’s basketball competition is expected to be one of the highlights of the Rio games for Australians. With Australia boasting more NBA talent than ever before, including the young gun everyone is talking about Ben Simmons, it’s hard not to be excited about our prospects. While it’s a tall order to topple the USA, the Boomers will have their sights firmly on gold.

The Australian Opals women’s team will also be one of the favourites to win gold, with their prospects better than our men’s team. Much hope will hinge on Lauren Jackson successfully returning from injury, but the new golden girl Liz Cambage, is equally as important.

Best bookmakers for Australians to bet on the Olympics

Aussies have an abundance of quality bookmakers they can use to bet on the Olympics games and all of them will run plenty of promos during the two week event. Rest assured Gamble.com.au will be glued to our televisions an computers bringing you the latest from the best betting sites during the games.